Hi all!
Happy new year, hope you're doing well! 🎉
This is Whiax, I want to share the current roadmap for Pixplorer 🫡. In the last weeks I've been improving the game aesthetics a lot to make the latest trailer and steam page (though it can and must always be improved more!). The next step is to make a nice demo for the Steam Next Fest, in which I should participate at the end of February!
Since I announced the game in September I've received a lot of feedback and I want to thank you all for that! I'll answer some of the most frequently asked questions with the current roadmap in mind.
TLDR: Release before May, price below $15, no multi on release, mods maybe, more content ? quality over quantity first, no early access
Release date? > In the current roadmap it's planned for a few weeks after Next Fest, so before May 2026 if everything is ok. The main reason I could see for a delay / roadmap change would be to ensure the game's profitability (something I unfortunately have to take into consideration).
Will the game support multiplayer when it's released ? > No, it’s a top priority to support it as soon as possible, but it’s not feasible in the current roadmap, which is why it's clearly stated everywhere that the game will be single-player only at launch !
Will the game support mods when it's released ? > The game can already support some mods in a non-usual way. The goal is to make it easier with a mod-manager inside the game. I can’t guarantee it will be ready at launch but I don't see many obstacles to do it if there is a demand to support mods (let me know!). Parts of the code to support mods are already done and it has already been tested in Debug mode.
Can you easily add content to the game? > Yes! But I don’t think the game needs tons of content at release. I think it needs to be stable, optimized, and to have basic essential features like multiplayer and modding. Quality over quantity! Please keep in mind that I'm a solo dev, I have tons of ideas to add to the game, but it wouldn't be fun if I'm the only one playing it, and I have to balance my time between enhancing existing content, adding new content, and promoting the game (and maybe sleeping too!). You can help by sharing the project if you like it, it really helps! :D
Price? > In the current roadmap it's not planned to be above $15, basically following the pricing strategy of all similar games. The idea is that with Sales it could be around ~$10, and the price would very slightly increase if and when I add multiplayer / more content over the years!
Early Access? > I’m still considering it but I see some issues. Mainly, Early Access asks players to trust the developer for future content, and I don’t want to ask for that, I want to give you a fully playable game you can directly enjoy (usually called a "V1"). And I can still add more content later. However, Early Access can serve a purpose depending on the playerbase, and I’d only consider it if it benefits both the game and the players. For now, it’s not planned.
So that's the current plan! I hope I'll stick to it, but if I don't, please be forgiving, because my only goal would be to offer a better game.
See ya! :D
Discord: https://discord.gg/Z5V2EVCUP9
